


My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

by thatoldeblackmagic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Iwaizumi is a hot mechanic, M/M, Oikawa is a hot mess, mechanic AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 01:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5028751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoldeblackmagic/pseuds/thatoldeblackmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It only had to work for one last road trip and then it would be sold or scrapped or driven into the ocean and Oikawa would never have to look at the thing again.  </p>
<p>So of course with only 8 hours left until his destination, the engine started to billow white smoke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Joshua

Oikawa looked cool. With his sunglasses on, windows down, and Bruce Springsteen playing through the speaker,s he sure as hell felt cool. And the best part was, his home town was about 1,500 miles behind him. 

After two years taking basics at a local community college, it was finally time for Oikawa to leave home and attend an actual university. It had the program he wanted as well as the scholarships his parents wanted and was basically on the other side of the country. Which, to be honest, was the main reason behind its appeal. So, after some crocodile tears and a few prolonged hugs from his parents, he packed up his car and made the long trek cross-country. 

Well almost made it.

The thing about his car is that it’s old. As in his dad bought it new in the 80’s old. As in the AC broke sometime in the late 90’s with the heater following soon after old. It was, to put it lightly, a piece of shit. But it only had to work for one last road trip and then it would be sold or scrapped or driven into the ocean and Oikawa would never have to look at the thing again. 

So of course with only 8 hours left until his destination, the engine started to billow white smoke.

“No.” Oikawa kept driving. If he pretended he didn’t see the smoke maybe it would go away. 

It didn’t. “No. No no noooo I’m sorry I called you a piece of shit. You’re a very reliable, very functional car.” The engine light turned on. Oikawa stared. “Oh. Is something wrong with the engine? I COULDN’T TELL.”

Frustrated, Oikawa considered his options. He could keep driving this ticking time bomb of a car and hope it didn’t catch fire, or he could be reasonable and get help. Except that getting help seemed more like giving up. So, Oikawa drove on but for every mile forward the smoke got denser to the point where he could barely see the road. Oikawa groaned. Time to be reasonable then.

He pulled over to the side of the highway, threw the car in park, and laid his head on the steering wheel. “Fuck.”

Where was he? It had been a while since he saw any sort of civilization. Was he still in Montana? Probably. He’d been driving in Montana for what seemed like years. With a sigh, he pulled out his dad’s “For Emergencies” list and dialed the number for roadside assistance. 

-

After a 30 minute wait and a lot of vague descriptions of his location, a tow truck arrived and brought him to the nearest town, which to be honest wasn’t much of a town at all. It was tiny. Its entire population was probably about the size of Oikawa’s old high school with all the shops fitting on a single main street through the center. The rest of it seemed to be made up of residential streets and churches.

Though the town wasn't too impressive, the one thing that really caught Oikawa’s eye was the scenery. Behind the town were beautiful rolling hills painted red and blue with wildflowers. Beyond the hills were snowcapped mountains that reflected the late afternoon sun and gave the valley a warm glow. Even if the town itself didn’t have much to offer, the surrounding nature definitely made up for it. It was stunning.

The tow truck dropped him and his car off at the one auto shop in town. It was nothing special, but it seemed as if it belonged. The shop was small and rustic with a few colorful flower pots out front that gave it some charm which reflected the general feeling of the town.

The mechanic that came out to meet him, however, was another story all together. He was probably about Oikawa’s age and more importantly, this guy was hot. Really hot. That kind of rugged hot where it seems like he’s made for chopping down trees shirtless in a lush forest with the sound of rushing water in the background. He was all tanned skin and muscles with light stubble lining his jaw. He was dressed in faded blue jeans, work boots, and a tight grease stained v-neck that gave off a distinct 'small town country boy' vibe. His eyes were a gorgeous hazel and also were focused squarely on Oikawa. Oh. Oikawa's brain filled in the fact that hot mechanic had been talking to him for a while now and seemed to be expecting a response.

“My car broke down.” Yikes. Oikawa flinched internally. “I mean, white smoke started coming from the engine and I figured it was probably good to stop before my car caught on fire,” And now he was rambling.

The hot mechanic looked amused. “Probably a good choice,” He turned toward the garage. ”Well I guess I’ll take it in and have a look. I’m Hajime Iwaizumi by the way.”

Oikawa blurted. “Wait, you’re Japanese?”

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi paused and turned back toward Oikawa. “Why?”

“I am too! My name’s Tooru Oikawa,” Finally this conversation was back to a place Oikawa could work with. He put on his most charming smile and extended a hand which Iwaizumi shook firmly. “Nice to meet you Iwa-chan!”

“No,” Iwaizumi pulled his hand away quickly. “Hell no. Don’t call me that”

Oikawa pouted. “Aww come on Iwa-chan isn’t it nostalgic?”

“I was born in America you asshole. “

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa chided. “That’s not a very nice thing to say to a paying customer.”

Iwaizumi huffed. “Oh my god you’re so obnoxious,” He ran a hand through his short hair making it spike up even further. For some reason Oikawa’s brain categorized this as ‘cute’. “I won’t be able to fix your car if you talk me to death,” Before Oikawa could say another word in response, Iwaizumi walked over to the car and popped the hood.

Without anything better to do, Oikawa followed him into the garage and sat to watch him work. Iwaizumi himself was far more interesting than whatever he was doing with the car. His brow furrowed as he concentrated on his task and his muscles flexed subtly when as he moved. If grease got on his glove he would wipe it on his shirt without a second thought. Yeah, he was definitely the rugged type.

Iwaizumi’s voice snapped him out of his daydreaming. “Are you just gonna sit there and stare at me the whole time?”

Oikawa pretended to think it over “Hmmm… Yep! Seems that way! I mean, how could I pass up an opportunity like this,” Oikawa winked.

“Are you,” Iwaizumi stopped with confusion plain on his face. “Ugh. Whatever.” He turned back to the car.

Oikawa sighed and kicked his feet rhythmically hitting the legs of the chair. After a while staring at Iwaizumi lost its novelty. Especially when he wouldn’t even pay attention to Oikawa. 

“So, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa paused to check if that would get a response or any form of acknowledgment. Nothing. Well, Oikawa was nothing if not persistent. “What do you do when you’re not working?”

“What kind of a question is that?” He didn’t even glace up from his work. “And stop calling me Iwa-chan.”

Oikawa grinned. So he was listening. “I’m just trying to make small talk! You know find common interests.”

“Right now I’m interested in figuring out what’s wrong with your car and I can’t concentrate if you won’t shut up.” Iwaizumi's reply was immediate.

“Ouch Iwa-chan!” Oikawa placed a hand over his heart as if wounded. ”So much for being friendly!”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and continued to tinker with the car.

Oikawa wasn’t sure what it was about this boy that made him feel the need to tease. Iwaizumi just seemed so serious all the time. It really wouldn’t kill him to crack a smile every once in a while, right? Maybe he was self-conscious of his teeth. Was there even a dentist nearby? Oh god what if he dipped.

“So how old is this car anyway? 30 years?”

Oikawa blinked. “29.”

Iwaizumi sighed. “Well I figured out what’s wrong but we don’t have the part to fix the problem here.”

“So what does that mean?” Oikawa cocked his head to the side. “I can’t really go anywhere else.”

Iwaizumi turned to face Oikawa, wiping his grease stained gloves on his jean. “It means I’ll probably have to visit another shop in the city tomorrow. Someone there has got to have it.”

“Tomorrow?” Oikawa stood up. “I can’t wait until tomorrow! I don’t even have a place to stay the night!”

“Look, most shops are about to close for the day so I won’t be able to do anything about it until tomorrow even if I could find a shop with the part.” Iwaizumi raised his gloved hand seemingly about to run it through his hair but quickly thought better of it and made to remove his gloves. “As for a place to stay there’s a hotel right down the street.”

“A hotel?” Oikawa was basically already living the broke college kid life and with the added payment for fixing the car there wouldn’t be much money left for food let alone a hotel room. “Iwa-chan I can’t stay in a hotel!”

“Well where else would you go? You can’t sleep on the street.”

No he definitely couldn’t sleep on the street but a hotel is no good either. All he really needed was a dry space with a roof over his head… Oh! “I can sleep in my car!”

Iwaizumi turned toward him slowly and stared.

“What? It’s still my property and there’s room in the front seat, sort of. I even have a pillow pet! It’s a unicorn!”

“Are you stupid?” He threw his hands up in a halting motion. “Wait, no, don’t say anything. I already know the answer.”

Oikawa frowned, “You’re so mean to me! Is this the way you treat all your customers?”

“Only the annoying ones,” Iwaizumi let out a sigh that turned into a groan. “Listen, I can’t let you stay here. I’m pretty sure it’s against company policy to lock customers in the shop after hours. Why can’t you go to the hotel?”

“I’m not made of money Iwa-chan! I have to pay you for fixing my car already!” Oikawa’s frown deepened. This day sucked.

"Oh." Something in Iwaizumi’s facial expression changed. He looked less annoyed and more thoughtful but also… embarrassed? Oikawa thought himself to be pretty good at reading people, but why would Iwaizumi be embarrassed? He wasn’t the one stranded in the middle-of-nowhere. "I didn’t really think about that,” Iwaizumi shuffled his feet in the dirt and turned his head to face anywhere but Oikawa. “Um. Well” His hand moved to the back of his neck. “If you wanted to, you could always uh, stay at my house.”

Oikawa’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”

“Uh…” Iwaizumi’s eyes were resolutely fixed on the car. “Well I mean since my brother moved out we have an extra room and umm… Mom loves having company, and, it’s really not your fault you got stuck in this shitty situation, and, uhh,“ He finally turned his head to look at Oikawa. “I really can’t let you sleep in your car. Not because of company policy or whatever, but because it wouldn’t be right.”

All Oikawa could do was stare. Did people like this still exist? Was this small town hospitality at work or was this Iwaizumi being genuinely good guy? Either way Oikawa wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Iwaizumi misinterpreted Oikawa’s silence and started to backtrack. “Sorry that was dumb I mean you don’t even know me,” He rubbed at his arm. “I know a guy who works at the hotel I’ll see if I can-“

“Wait! Iwa-chan!” Oikawa stepped forward. “Is that really ok? I wouldn’t want to impose or anything.“

“Yeah. It’s fine. That’s why I offered” Iwaizumi shrugged.

Oikawa could feel a smile bloom on his face in response. “I take it back Iwa-chan you’re not mean at all. You’re just a big softy with a gruff, well-muscled exterior.” 

“You’re so full of shit.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes but was fighting back a grin, “Go get whatever you need out of your car. The shop is closing now so we can leave soon. I’m gonna call home real quick and let mom know you’re coming.”

Oikawa bounded over to his car. “Iwa-chan you’re my knight in shining armor. Chivalry really isn’t dead!”

Iwaizumi gave a weary sigh. “I’m gonna regret this aren’t I.”

Oikawa just smiled.

-

Iwaizumi’s car was a red pickup truck. Of course it was. “You know,” Oikawa considered. “You really are working the whole country boy thing. Although I was half expecting it to have a lift kit.”

Iwaizumi looked vaguely embarrassed. “Lift kits are expensive,” Oikawa gave him a meaningful look. “Shut up. You know they’re actually useful when you have to drive over rough terrain,” Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Shut up!”

“I haven’t said a thing Iwa-chan.” Oikawa hopped in the passenger’s seat “You coming?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming.”

Oikawa snickered. “That’s what she said.”

“Oh my god,” Iwaizumi turned to stare at Oikawa. “You have got to be kidding me. That joke is so old.”

“Yet still so good!” Oikawa gave his award winning smile. Iwaizumi made a disgusted noise.

He started up the car. “Let’s go before I change my mind and leave you here.”

The drive to Iwaizumi’s house was short and most of it was through residential streets. They stopped in front of a modestly sized two-story home decorated with small lights lining the walkway and a well-cared for garden. It was cute.

The interior was tastefully decorated although a bit messy. Somehow, instead of looking sloppy, this made the house look lived in and it radiated a well-loved, homey feeling.  
“Hey mom I’m back!”

A small woman appeared from around the corner. “Oh! Welcome back dear!” She was wearing a flour stained apron with her hair pulled into a messy bun. Her smile was warm as she turned toward Oikawa “You must be our guest for the night. Please feel free to make yourself at home. You can always come to me or Hajime if you need anything.”

Oikawa turned on the charm. “Thank you so much for having Iwaizumi-san!”

She trilled out a laugh. “My goodness, no one has called me that in ages!” Something beeped from the kitchen. “Dinner should be ready in a bit. I’ve made curry but if you’re allergic to anything I don’t mind making something else for you.”

“No allergies for me! And curry sounds great!”

-

After dinner a pleasant dinner and Iwaizumi-san turning town Oikawa’s offers to help clean up, Iwaizumi motioned for Oikawa to follow him up the stairs. “Grab your stuff. I’ll show you where everything is.”

Pictures lining the stairwell showed a happy family of four. They documented the childhood years of Iwaizumi and another boy that Oikawa assumed to be his brother all the way to their respective high school graduations.

“That’s my brother Ryouta.” Oikawa shifted his gaze to Iwaizumi. “He just graduated high school in May and left for college a few weeks ago so you’ll be staying in his room.”

“You’re a big brother.” Somehow this made perfect sense.

Iwaizumi chuckled. “Yeah I guess so. He’s always been independent though. Took the first chance he could to get out of this town and move into the city.”

“So what made you stay?” Oikawa realized as soon as he asked that this was this was a pretty invasive question. 

Luckily Iwaizumi didn’t notice or maybe just didn’t care. He shrugged and replied, “I like it here. I was working part time at the shop in high school and then they offered me a full time job when I graduated. I didn’t really see any reason to say no.”

Iwaizumi turned to keep walking up the stairs. “It’s been weird since Ryouta left. It doesn’t help that dad is doing his seasonal fishing job in Alaska. So just a heads up Mom is probably going to try and spoil you so you stay for longer.”

Oikawa smiled, “Well if it means more home cooked meals like that I don’t think I’d mind.”

Iwaizumi chuckled. “Save your flattery for when she can hear you.” He walked down the hall at the top of the stairs motioning to various rooms. “Here’s the bathroom, the linen closet, and here’s where you’ll be staying.”

Walking into the room, Oikawa took a quick survey of his surroundings. The walls were covered in sports posters and the shelves were filled with various kick-knacks. It was full of personality even if its owner wasn’t here.

Oikawa set down his bag and flopped onto the bed making sounds of contentment. “Ahh I feel like I could sleep for years.”

“Well I’ll leave you to it then. Clean towel are in the closet and the wifi password is just our last name.” He turned to go back into the hallway.

“Wait Iwa-chan it’s still so early! Since I’m your guest I think it’s only right that you entertain me.” Oikawa grinned and sat up. “You never did tell me what you do when you’re not working.”

Iwaizumi stepped back into the room with his eyebrows raised, “I don’t think guest hospitality rules apply when you’re less of a guest and more of a freeloader.”

Oikawa gasped “Iwa-chan! So rude!” He shook his head morosely. “Remember when I said you were a softy? I judged you too soon. You’re actually a bully that pretends to be nice when it’s convenient.”

Iwaizumi huffed a laugh. “Yup. You got me,” And then he smiled. 

Not a grin or a smirk but an actual smile. Oikawa could hear angels sing. Iwaizumi’s smile was toothy and warm and made his eyes crinkle a bit at the corners. It was horrifically endearing as well as absolutely gorgeous and holy shit was it fair for one person to have so much going for them? Oikawa was fucked.

“Well…” Oikawa snapped out of his reverie. What had they been talking about? “We do have an old gamecube downstairs if you wanna play.” Oh right.

“Only if you have Mario Kart and I can play as Yoshi.”

Iwaizumi gave him a look “Oh? You do realize that if we play Mario Kart you’re gonna get your ass handed to you when I win as Yoshi, right?”

“Hey!” Oikawa stands up stepping toward Iwaizumi, “Don’t underestimate my Mario Kart abilities! Also as your guest I should get Yoshi.”

“Freeloader, not guest remember?”

“Hmmm…” Inspiration struck suddenly. Oikawa edged his way closer to the door until he was standing between Iwaizumi and the hallway. A mischievous grin flashed across his face. “I’ll race you for it.” 

“What? Oikaw-“

Oikawa took off through the hall, “LAST ONE THERE IS A ROTTEN EGG!”

From behind he heard a muffled “What are you 12?” before heavy footsteps followed him quickly down the stairs. 

-

“Oikawa I swear to god if you throw that blue shell I am kicking you out of this hou- OIKAWA DON’T YOU DARE!” The screen burst into color as Yoshi was blown sky high. In the surrounding carnage Princess Peach sped across the finish line into first place.

Oikawa did a little victory dance. “So was all that earlier just talk? Because right now it seems like I am currently handing you your own ass.”

“I would have won if you hadn’t have gotten that fucking blue shell!” Iwaizumi groaned “Alright. Let’s pla-“

“Hajime!” Iwaizumi-san’s head appeared from around the corner, “How many times do I have to remind you to stop swearing!”

Iwaizumi ducked his head, “Sorry mom.”

With a frown and a click of her tongue she disappeared again.

“Heh. Mama’s boy” Oikawa snickered. 

“Shut the fuck up Oikaw-“

“HAJIME!” She walked to the middle of the room and stood with her hands on her hips, “What did I just say?”

Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry mom.”

“Honestly. I should start up the swear jar again. At least I could use the money and buy myself a little treat for having to put up with your potty mouth.” She pointed an accusing finger at Iwaizumi. Putting her arm down she gave a soft sigh, “Well I’m headed to bed so don’t stay up too late you two. Tooru dear if you need anything feel free to ask.”

“Alright! Goodnight Iwaizumi-san!” “’Night mom.”

She smiled “Goodnight boys. Sweet dreams.” Her footsteps got lighter as she padded off into the other room.

Iwaizumi turned to Oikawa “So,” His mouth turned up into a smirk “You ready to lose?”

Oikawa laughed. "In your dreams iwa-chan."


	2. 9 to 5

The next morning, Oikawa woke slowly, attempting to blink away the sunlight that streamed through the blinds onto his face. Blearily, he fumbled around the bed and nightstand in an attempt to reach his phone until there was a loud thunk on the floor. Found it. Oikawa reached down and checked the clock which read 7:26 in the morning. He groaned. It was still so early but once awake, there was no hope of him falling back asleep. After finally sitting up, Oikawa was initially disoriented by his unfamiliar surroundings. It took a moment for his brain to process that no, someone had not redecorated his room in the middle of the night as the events of the previous day trickled slowly through his consciousness. 

Right. He was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Though of all the people to be stranded with, a hot mechanic was probably the best option.

With a few more minutes to get his bearings, Oikawa stumbled out of bed and made his way out to the hall. As soon as he opened the door, he was hit by the smell of breakfast. Oikawa, now significantly more awake, hastily made his way down the stairs only to stop when he reached the kitchen. Iwaizumi was standing in front of the stove making breakfast in only pajama pants. Oikawa’s brain short circuited. Maybe he was actually still asleep because this definitely seemed like a situation that Oikawa would dream up. 

Oikawa continued to stare dumbly until Iwaizumi took notice of his presence. “Oh hey Oikawa. Do you li- Woah.” Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows. “That’s some bedhead you’ve got there.”

Oikawa reached up and halfheartedly patted at his hair. Any other time those words would have sent him running for the bathroom but his mind was too occupied with the fact that Iwaizumi was cooking breakfast shirtless. 

“Do you always cook without a shirt on?” He had definitely just said that out loud hadn’t he.

“Only in the summer,” Iwaizumi looked down as if to check whether or not he was actually wearing a shirt. “It’s too hot.”

“You’re too hot,” He had said that out loud too. Damn it. It would be really nice if his thought to word filter decided to kick in before he irredeemably embarrassed himself. 

Iwaizumi looked confused. “What was that?”

“I said do you have any coffee?” Oikawa asked with what he hoped was an innocent expression.

“Yeah…” Iwaizumi sounded skeptical. “It’s still brewing but it should only be a few more minutes.”

If Iwaizumi really hadn’t heard him, which was honestly very unlikely, then Oikawa would consider that a lucky break. But if he had, he seemed to be okay playing it off. Besides, it’s not like what he said was a lie. Iwaizumi was really too hot for Oikawa to deal with this early in the morning. Either way, it was probably best for Oikawa to keep his mouth shut until he had some caffeine to jumpstart his brain.

When the coffee maker beeped, Oikawa thanked every god he could think of and went to pour himself a cup.

"So, What's the plan for today Iwa-chan?" Planning out the day was a safe topic right? It was getting hard to think what was acceptable and what wasn't when Iwaizumi still had not put on a shirt.

Iwaizumi dumped the contents of the pan onto a plate and slid it over to Oikawa. "I've got to work in an hour and I'm gonna start calling around to find the part for you car. I don't know what you want to do though. You can come with me but I get the feeling you'll get bored."

Oikawa grabbed a fork and popped some food into this mouth. Holy shit. This boy could cook. Was even Iwaizumi real? Was Oikawa actually passed out on the side of the highway? Who the hell cooks a full breakfast at seven in the morning with no shirt? Apparently the same person who invites strangers to stay with them. The harder Oikawa looked the surer he was that he could see a halo perched above Iwaizumi's head.

"There's not really much to do if you stay here though," Iwaizumi continued. "I mean there's the gamecube but that's really all."

"I want to come with you to work!" It was the obvious choice. Sit in a stranger's house and play decade old video games? Or watch Iwaizumi in a tight shirt doing manly car-related things? Maybe if he got lucky Iwaizumi would forget to put a shirt on all together. 

Iwaizumi shrugged. "Alright. We have to leave in forty-five minutes. If you're late I'm leaving you behind."

-

Iwaizumi was right, being at the shop was boring. Iwaizumi was kept busy with calling other shops in search of the necessary part as well helping customers throughout the morning which left Oikawa to entertain himself. There was only so much candy crush a person could play before they went insane. Iwaizumi repeatedly threatened to kick him out of the shop because “your restlessness is annoying. Go take a walk or something.”

Eventually, Iwaizumi took an early lunch break and the two of them when to a small sandwich shop a few shops down.

“So,” Oikawa started after they were settled with food. “Any luck finding the part to fix my car?”

Iwaizumi groaned. “Not really. Most of the shops stopped carrying parts like that at least 10 years ago. There were some that said they had to double check and would call back, but most of them didn’t have it.” 

Oikawa frowned and picked at his food. “So I’m guessing I won’t be able to leave today?”

“Yeah definitely not today. Even if we can somehow get the part today, it will be late by the time we actually get back to the shop so I won’t be able to start work on it until tomorrow.”

Which meant another night at Iwaizumi’s house. Even though Iwaizumi had invited him to stay, Oikawa couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. He had only met Iwaizumi the day before and while one night seemed like a reasonable amount of time to intrude on their hospitality, any longer than that made Oikawa feel like an unwanted house guest. Maybe he could set aside his pride for a day or so and beg his parents to lend him money for a hotel.

“You know, I meant to ask yesterday.” Iwaizumi put his elbows on the table and propped up his head on his hand. “When do you need to be at… wherever it is you’re going?”

“Classes start in 6 days, but I still have 8 hours of driving left.”

“Oh!” Iwaizumi looked surprised. “That’s more time than I thought. I’ll definitely be able to get the part before then but it’s turning out to be a bit harder than I expected. I’m gonna say as a rough estimate you should be able to leave by the day after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow. So two more nights at Iwaizumi’s house. Oikawa had to say something. “It was really nice of you to let me stay for the night but I really don’t want to impose. I could probably get my parents to spot me for a few night in the hotel and-“

“Wait.” Iwaizumi raised his head off his hand and stared directly at Oikawa. “That came out of nowhere. I’m not trying to kick you out. I don’t actually know where you got that idea from.” His eyes widened. “You know I was kidding about the whole freeloader thing right?”

Oikawa nodded and looked to the side. “I know but, I feel like I’d be overstaying my welcome.”

“Shit, did I give you that impression?” He raked a hand through his hair. “When I said you could stay I didn’t mean just for one night. I knew when I asked that fixing your car would probably take a while. Besides,” He laughed. “If mom found out you were staying in the hotel she would probably drag you out of there by force.”

Oikawa was incredibly lucky. Of all the small country towns he could have ended up stranded in, somehow he ended up in the one with Iwaizumi Hajime. He could feel the smile pull at his lips as he raised his head to meet Iwaizumi's eyes. "Thank you." He let the smile take over, splitting his face into a sunny grin. "Really, thank you."

Iwaizumi looked take aback. He raised his mostly empty glass to his mouth and replied "It's no problem." He was smiling too.

-

A few hours after lunch they were back in the shop. Iwaizumi had been calling non-stop but so far they weren't having any luck. It was getting to be late in the afternoon when Iwaizumi finally heard good news.

“I just spoke to a shop in the city. Turns out they have the part for your car and if we leave right now we can probably make it there before they close.”

Oikawa looked up from his phone. "The city? How far away is that?"

Iwaizumi took off his gloves and attempted to get the worst of the grease stains off his shirt. "An hour and a half so we gotta leave now. Grab your stuff."

Oikawa's eyes lit up. "An hour and a half? Iwa-chan does that mean we're going on a roadtrip? I have the perfect playlist for this!"

"You know what. I changed my mind," Iwaizumi leveled him with a glare. "You can stay here."

"Nope! We're going on a roadtrip and it's too late to take it back." Oikawa grabbed his phone and skipped over to where Iwaizumi's truck was parked. Once there he impatiently jiggled the haddle. "Hurry up Iwa-chan! daylight's wasting!"

Iwaizumi let out an audible sigh and unlocked the car. Once situated, Iwaizumi started up the old truck and turned on the radio.

Oikawa immediately made a face. “Country music? Really Iwa-chan?” He reached for the controls.

Iwaizumi swatted his hand away and proceeded to turn up the volume. “Yes country music. You keep calling me ‘country boy’ I figure this would have been expected.”

“Except that no one actually likes country music,” Oikawa eyed the volume control. “Some people just pretend to because it gives them a reason to drink beer in the middle of the day and buy unnecessarily large trucks.” He quickly darted his hand out to swipe the dial to the left.

Iwaizumi punched his shoulder. “Quit doing that!” He turned it back up. “We’re gonna listen to country music whether you like it or not. My car my rules.”

“That’s not fair! Isn’t the person in the passenger’s seat supposed to control the music anyway?”

“Not when the person in the passenger’s seat obviously has shit taste in music”

Oikawa huffed and turned to look out the window. They had gotten on the highway and the scenery was turning to a blur. Oikawa jutted out his lower lip and sank further into his seat.

“Are you actually pouting?” Iwaizumi sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Alright here’s a compromise. Country on the way there, whatever you want on the way back. Is that fair?”

Oikawa considered his proposition. On one hand it meant country music for an hour and a half, but on the other it meant he could torment Iwaizumi with whatever he wanted for the same amount of time. He grudgingly admitted, “Yeah that’s fair.”

“Good”

The two of them fell quiet while the music filtered through the speakers. All of a sudden it hit Oikawa just how strange this was. He was in an unfamiliar place, with country music playing in the background while letting a stranger drive him an hour and a half to a town in the middle of nowhere. The weirdest part was how comfortable it all felt. Somehow the music reflected the mountains and the country road. The scenery fit well with the twang of the singer’s accent. And Iwaizumi. He hadn’t even known Iwaizumi for a full day but Oikawa could honestly say that this boy was one of the best people he’d ever met. This gruff country mechanic who readily invited strangers into his home and then cooked breakfast for them the next morning. Oikawa was so comfortable with him but when he really thought about it, Oikawa didn’t know much about Iwaizumi at all.

It hit Oikawa suddenly that getting to know Iwaizumi was something he really, really wanted to do.

As subtly as he could, Oikawa peered at Iwaizumi out of the corner of his eye. Iwaizumi was focused on the road but his fingers tapped on the wheel in time to the music. His mouth was moving though barely and it struck Oikawa that he was singing along. Closing his eyes, Oikawa strained to listen for the sound of his voice. Faintly, he could pick up the deep baritone of Iwaizumi’s singing. 

Normally Oikawa would bring it up and poke fun at Iwaizumi, but then he would stop singing. Right now that was the last thing he wanted. Oikawa still hadn’t opened his eyes and was trying hard to pick out the soft yet deep voice of the boy next to him. The moment felt fragile. Like if Oikawa made any indication he was listening, it would end. So, Oikawa kept his eye closed, leaned his head back, and listened.

-

The drive ended much sooner than Oikawa would have liked. Once actually in town, it only took ten minutes to find the shop, exchange pleasantries, get the part, and head out again. For all the driving they had done, it seemed like no time at all.

Back in the car, Oikawa remembered their deal.

“Now its my turn Iwa-chan!” Smirking widely, Oikawa plugged in his phone and hit play. 

Nothing happened.

Oikawa’s brows knitted together as he check his phone. It certainly looked like song was supposed to be playing. He reached for the volume control on the console and got his hand smacked away.

Iwaizumi looked smug. “I said you could play your music but I never said at what volume.”

“Iwa-chan!” He reached for the volume again and struggled against Iwaizumi’s resistance. “We had a deal!”

“I know. If you're really quiet you can kind of hear it. That counts.” Iwaizumi was pursing his lips together in an attempt not to laugh.

Oikawa glared. Iwaizumi though he was so smart. He was so proud of himself and his little rule bending. But clearly he underestimated Oikawa. Oikawa was always one to get what he wanted and he used whatever tools available.

Oikawa took in a deep breath.

“PRIMMADONNA GIRL!! YEAH. ALL I EVER WANTED WAS THE WORLD!!”

Iwaizumi startled, “Holy shit Oikawa what the f-“

“CAN’T HELP THAT I NEED IT ALL!! PRIMMADONNA LIFE THE RISE AND FALL!!”

“Oh my god I’m going to strangle y-“

“YOU SAY THAT I’M KIND OF DIFFICULT!! BUT IT’S ALWA-“

Iwaizumi grit his teeth, “FINE. You can play your music if it means you’ll SHUT UP oh my god.”

Oikawa snapped his mouth shut. He made eye contact with Iwaizumi and slowly reached over to the volume controls turning the music up to an audible level. Iwaizumi glared and turned to face the road. Oikawa smirked. This was arguably the best road trip he'd ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this chapter is bad sorry. also its been a month instead of a week. i'm bad a this whole fanfic thing.


	3. Islands in the Stream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they go on a d(ate)rive..

Once they got back into town, it was well past closing hours and verging on nightfall. After a quick stop at the shop to drop off the part, the two boys headed back for dinner which greeted them on the table as they stepped in. Afterwards, Oikawa managed to commandeer the dishes before Iwaizumi-san could step in because, honestly, it was the least he could do to earn his temporary keep. Iwaizumi joined him at the sink and they fell into a steady pattern of washing and rinsing.

“So Iwa-chan, what’s the plan for tonight?” 

Iwaizumi paused in his administrations and raised an eyebrow, “Plan?”

“Yep! I’m only going to be here for another day or so. You’ve got to show me the sights! Astound me with all the small town secrets and charms.”

Now Iwaizumi was looking at Oikawa with the most incredulous expression he’d seen yet. “Clearly you’ve never lived in a small town because no one here can keep a secret to save their life. There’s nothing really mysterious or thrilling here. Charming I guess, but you can’t see that at night.”

“Hmmm,” Oikawa pondered his options. “Nothing haunted?”

“Nope.”

“Any local lore? Like bigfoot or cannibalistic mutants?”

“I’m pretty sure bigfoot lives further west. And no reports of cannibalism.”

Oikawa grinned, pleased that Iwaizumi was playing along. “What about a hidden seedy underbelly? I’m talking black market trades, the mob, anything.”

“Well,” The thoughtful look on Iwaizumi’s face was ruined by the not-so-subtle upturn of his mouth. “There’s a bar on main street where people sometimes bet on football games.”

“Close enough!” Oikawa almost dropped the dish he was holding in his haste to free his hands. He lunged forward to grab Iwaizumi’s own and drew closer in excitement . “Let’s go bar hopping!”

Iwaizumi looked down at their clasped hands where the suds from Oikawa’s had transferred to his own and were proceeding to run down Iwaizumi’s wrists. He looked back up to Oikawa with amusement and exasperation plain on his face. It was a good look for him, Oikawa officially decided. They way his left brow arched higher than the right made his nose scrunch a little which was possibly the most charming thing Oikawa had ever seen. “There’s only one bar. You can’t really go ‘bar hopping’”

Oikawa wasn’t deterred. “Well then we’ll go bar sitting! Get a beer, place some bets on a sport I don’t know the rules to, make some money, and then blow it all on more beer. It’s foolproof!”

Iwaizumi adjusted his hands in Oikawa’s grip so their fingers were laced together. The suds were trailing down his arms all the way to his elbows. Oikawa's eyes followed their trail through the slight valleys made by Iwaizumi's muscles. When Iwaizumi leaned in, Oikawa's eyes snapped back up. “You are ridiculous. Seeing as we’re both underage, how are you planning on getting that beer?” When Oikawa started to seriously ponder the question, Iwaizumi laughed. He untangled his left hand and reached up to lightly pinch Oikawa’s nose. “No bars. If you want to see the town I don’t mind driving us around. It seems like a nice night for it at least.”

“Hajime, why don’t you take him to the lookout?” Iwaizumi-san asked.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi both startled at the voice and sprung apart. How did they even end up so close in the first place? It suddenly occurred to Oikawa what that must have looked like, what with the two of them holding hands and leaning close like that. Not to mention their conversation that could easily have been mistaken for flirting. Oh god, was it flirting? Was Oikawa just flirting with Iwaizumi in front of his mom? And the better question: was Iwaizumi flirting back?! Oikawa only hoped that the panic and embarrassment didn’t show too clearly on his face when he stuttered, “Wh-What’s the lookout?”

“It’s a ledge you can drive to up on the hills that gives a wonderful view of the town. If you really want to see the best side of this place, then the lookout is your best bet!” She tipped her head and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Also, I believe it’s clear out so it should be a fantastic night for stargazing!”

Oikawa perked up at that. Stargazing was always something Oikawa could get behind. He knew all the major constellations by heart even if he rarely got the chance to see them in his smoggy, polluted hometown. “Iwa-chan let’s go there! I love stargazing! I bet you could even seen the milky way out here!” When Oikawa turned to face Iwaizumi, he realized that he wasn’t the only one embarrassed. Iwaizumi’s face was redder than Oikawa thought possible with his mouth hanging open slightly. His eyes were wide and focused on his mother. “Iwa-chan?”

“Mom. The lookout? Really? We can’t go there.” His voice came out strangled and choppy which seemed to be a pretty strange reaction to such a suggestion. Iwaizumi’s reluctance to go only served to pique Oikawa’s curiosity.

“Yes, dear why not? It’s a lovely night for it and honestly, there isn’t much else to do it this town after dark.”

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa put on his most whiny voice. “I want to go! You said that you’d drive us around so why not go there?”

Iwaizumi’s eyes flicked between Oikawa and Iwaizumi-san until they finally settled at a point just to the left of Oikawa’s head. The blush was still high on his cheeks. “Fine. We’ll finish up dishes and then go to the lookout. Happy?” 

Oikawa’s face split into a wide grin. It felt as if he’d somehow won something with Iwaizumi’s concession. “Very happy.”

-

The drive to the lookout was only half an hour max, yet as they drove it seemed to Oikawa that they were winding their way deep into the mountains. The summer night was cool enough to warrant having the windows down so the mountain breeze whipped through the car. Classic rock blared through the speakers, but was barely audible through the rushing of the wind past Oikawa’s ears. With the lights dimmed and the sun set, Oikawa could see the stars against the mountains. He could almost taste the crispness in the air. Maybe he would ask Iwaizumi if they could drive around the mountains after stargazing, just to feel this all again.

As they rounded the final corner, the truck slowed to a stop. Iwaizumi pulled out then backed into the open area so the bed of the truck was facing the cliff. “Well, we’re here.”  
Oikawa scrambled out of the truck and eagerly went to the overlook. As he suspected, the lights in town were nothing but a blurred mess. Sighing, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his glasses resigned to the fact that he would need them for this. 

He heard Iwaizumi’s footsteps approaching from the other side of the truck. “It looks more impressive during the day. The only thing you can see are streetli- Whatthehell.” His steps halted.

Oikawa turned to face Iwaizumi. “What?”

“Pfftt” Iwaizumi snorted “What do you mean ‘what’? Where did you get those glasses? They look straight out of an 80’s movie!”

Oikawa frowned and turned back toward the town. “I think they fit my face rather nicely thank you very much.”

“Wait wait no,” Iwaziumi reached out grabbed Oikawa’s arm, earning him a side glance. “I’m not making fun of you I promise. I just wasn’t expecting that at all.” Oikawa turned his head slightly to better judge Iwaizumi’s face which looked nothing but sincere. “Besides, you’re right. They do fit your face. They make you look nerdy, but in a good way if that makes any sense.”

“Nerdy but in a good way? Iwa-chan you really need to work on your compliments,” Oikawa huffed a bit and placed his hand over Iwaizumi’s. “I guess I forgive you though. Only because I’m feeling particularly generous tonight.”

“Thank you so very much for your forgiveness. I’ll treasure it forever,” Iwaizumi deadpanned. 

“You are so very welcome,” Oikawa smirked. “You know, your mom was right. This really is a good view of the town. If it was snowing, it would look straight out of a Christmas card!”

Iwaizumi let out a thoughtful hum. “Have you looked up yet?”

“Up?” Oikawa tilted his head towards the sky and his breath caught in his throat. Although he could see some stars on the way here, it didn’t even compare to what he could see now. The sky was flooded with little pinpricks of light backed by the blue and purples of the milky way. The view was disorienting and humbling and absolutely stunning. “Holy shit.”

“You know,” Iwaizumi’s voice pulled him back down to Earth. “If you’re planning on stargazing for a while, you can always lay in the bed of the truck so you don’t strain your neck.”

“Yeah that’s a good idea! It’s not going to be all dirty though will it?”

“Well, I’ve got a couple blankets in the backseat that I can lay down if you want.”

Blankets? He just kept blankets in the back of his truck? Unless… Oh. OH. The pieces started rapidly falling together in Oikawa’s mind. The blankets in the bed of a pickup truck, a moonless starlit night, Iwaizumi’s previous embarrassment about coming to the lookout. Oikawa grinned wickedly. Apparently the straight laced country boy might not be so straight after all. Never one to let things be, Oikawa sauntered up to where Iwaizumi was digging through the backseat. “My, my, Iwa-chan! You sure do move fast.”

Iwaizumi stiffened. Without looking up from his search, he asked “What are you talking about?”

“Well….” Oikawa drew out the syllable. “If you wanted to go on a romantic stargazing date with me, you could have just asked.”

Iwaizumi jolted upright so quickly he slammed his head on the car’s doorframe. “Fuck!” He gingerly rubbed the back of his head. When he rounded on Oikawa his face was beet red and wide eyes fixated on Oikawa’s face. “It’s not a date! You wanted stargazing so here’s stargazing!”

“Really?” Oikawa tilted his head in feigned ignorance. “It seems like a date to me! How does that one song go again? Kiss me under the light of a thousand sta-“

“Oh my god stop singing. Fuck. I knew this was a bad idea.” Iwaizumi brushed past Oikawa with the blankets bunched up in one hand and made for the back of the truck. “You can stargaze on your own. I’ll just… sit in the truck or something.” He tossed the blankets into the truck bed and stomped off to the driver’s seat.

Now Oikawa felt kind of bad. Maybe he pushed a little too far. “Iwa-chan you know I’m just teasing you right?” Oikawa placed one hand on the door, stopping it before it shut. “I really do appreciate you taking me out here and I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” He tried to inject as must sincerity into his tone as he could. It seemed to be working as he could see some tension release from Iwaizumi’s shoulders. “Will you stargaze with me? It’s more fun with someone else. Besides,” Oikawa put on his signature grin. “I know a ton of constellations and I feel the need to show off a bit.”

With a heavy sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose. “You really are something else. Fine. Go set out the blankets. I’ll be there in a sec.”

Success! Oikawa practically tripped over himself to hop in the bed of the tuck and hastily threw down the blankets. "Hey Iwa-chan, do you have any pillows? Maybe some candles? Oh! You could always play some baby-making tunes over the speakers."

"Or I could drive off right now and leave you on this cliff with nothing but a blanket." Iwaizumi hopped up into the bed and immediately put Oikawa into a rough headlock. "I figured when you apologized for teasing me you would actually stop doing it."

Oikawa managed to wiggle his way out of the headlock with a sharp jab to Iwaizumi's side. "I'm still a customer you know! Putting your customer's in headlocks is bad service." With a pout, he patted down his mussed up hair in an attempt to salvage it. "Besides, I never said I was sorry that I teased you. I just said that I didn't mean for you to be uncomfortable. Teasing you is too much fun and I will never be sorry for it!"

Iwaizumi leveled him with a glare that Oikawa was starting to become familiar with and a bit fond of. He proceeded to flop down onto the blanket and pillow his head behind his hand. " So. Do you actually know any constellations or are you just full of shit as usual?"

"Oh sweet naive Iwa-chan" Oikawa practically purred as he joined Iwaizumi on the blanket. "Prepare to be astonished."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAHAHahha..ha hey. it's been a while! sorry it took me forever to update but i do plan to finish this!
> 
> thank you for reading and sticking around :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Somehow this became a chapter fic...I'm hoping to update at least once a week with probably about 4 chapters.
> 
> Also I know the Blue Ridge Mountains aren't in Montana but I listened to a lot of Dolly Parton while writing this (hence the chapter names).


End file.
